Written in the Stars
by Sailor Vulcan
Summary: Things are finally calm, and the Z warriors are enjoying life, until they are told by a mysterious angelic figure their world is in danger. DBZ/SM with nice dash of Greek mythology for fun.
1. Chapter 1

**Written in the Stars**

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but my pride . . .And if you don't like the combo, or story please just stop reading. If you like it AWESOME, creative criticisms welcome, I'll admit I'm still learning. But please enjoy, I share this in hopes of giving others some diversion, like writing it has given me.

This is an AU blend of both universes, with a nice mix of mythology mixed in there may be some OOC-ness. . . but I try to write the characters as I hear them in my mind. Hopefully they are not too terribly messed up.

These first three chapters are "raw" they are getting proofed again by a beta, but content will not change just grammar. But I want to see if will let me edit this or if there's something odd going on with my older version of this.

Peace y'all  
Sailor Vulcan

Prologue: A Book of Legend

_Long ago, at the beginning of the times of mortal man, a pact was made between gods to protect the cosmos. A blue pearl in a sea of stars, Earth presented too great a temptation to the universe. But outside attacks were a distant worry. Earth's greatest threats lie upon it, between corrupted gods and immoral mortals, Earth's future looked bleak. War, betrayal, greed, all dug their talons deep into the developing Earth, destroying its purity. _

_ The celestial deities, omnipresent watchers of Earth's moral descent, in their divine wisdom pledged a child from each of their kingdoms to guard the safety of the Earth. Selene, goddess of the moon, and her brother Helius, god of the sun, both created a crystal that contained the whole of their heavenly powers. Knowing the dangers of such a creation both gods gave the crystals- and their users- guardians. To protect the crystal holders, Selene enlisted the help of the princesses of the Sol system to protect her daughter while Elysian had their armies and generals. Selene's crystal was handed down through her first-born daughters, all rulers of the __Moon Kingdom and the Silver Millennium. Being the direct descendants of gods, the Lunar Queens had pure hearts and thus had no temptation to misuse the crystal's powers. _

_ Helius' crystal however was another matter, like many of the gods he had followers on Earth. However he was weary of their weakness and lethargy, which made them inferior for this ultimate gift. So just as the rays of his kingdom stretch on forever, so did his search for a bearer that had fire for blood, and a soul smelted and tempered by flames. However his favored children were still far too young and barbarous to handle such a power._

_So instead Helius gave his creation to a loyal and powerful priest sworn to protect the crystal of the Golden Millennium with his life as long as the crystal still existed. His name was Helios, Elysian's holy priest, and ally of the Silver Millennium. However since Elysian was a mortal kingdom, the crystal was to remain a secret until the Earth's greatest time of need and was to be used only by Elysian's prince, sworn ally to the Lunar goddess, and steward of the Solar god. Even with these precautions, Helius, untrusting of the Humans, gave Helios strict instructions to retake the crystal if the Elysian Prince should ever show the slightest hint of temptation or betrayal; and afterwards, take the crystal and find a pure soul that would wield its power justly. _

_ Over time both kingdoms were destroyed by the corruption plaguing the Earth. But thanks to Selene's daughter, Queen Serenity, who forfeited her life so that all the good people of the kingdoms should be reborn on Earth - including her daughter Serenity and Serenity's love Endymion, Prince of Elysian. _

_ At fourteen, Serenity, now known as Tsukino Usagi, regained her memories, and as Sailor Moon, founded the Sailor Scouts, protectors of the Earth, which were all once princesses of a Solar Kingdom. There was scout of ice, Sailor Mercury, the scout of Fire, Sailor Mars, the scout of wood and lightening, Sailor Jupiter, and the gold scout of Love, Sailor Venus. Years after, new scouts appeared that were once the perimeter defense for the Moon Kingdom, Sailor Uranus, the scout of the winds, Sailor Neptune, the scout of the seas, Sailor Pluto the scout of Time and Sailor Saturn, the scout of death and rebirth. They were accompanied by Tuxedo Kamen, the reincarnated Endymion._

_ In time it was necessary to reveal the Golden __Crystal to the prince, which allowed the Scouts to defeat their greatest threat; Queen Neherenia. Unfortunately, the power of the crystal was too great for the prince, he soon fell prey to the temptation Helius had so long ago feared. His heart became corrupted by greed and Helios forced the crystal from him. The good prince was soon dead, but his body did not die . . . he became Galaxia's puppet, stringing the Sailor Scouts along to their deaths. The losses lead to the birth of Sailor Cosmos, the pure guardian of the universe, the Sailor Moon's strongest and ultimate form. In the final fight, Sailor Cosmos purified Galaxia and released the trapped star-seeds, allowing them to be reborn. However Galaxia was only a pawn for Chaos, the source of all evil. Cosmos dove into the Galactic core to destroy Chaos, but in doing so she too was killed._

_ But she too possessed a star-seed that was to be reborn along with her friends and fellow scouts. She, her scouts and Endymion returned to protect the Earth, and to fulfill their destiny - to create Crystal Tokyo and purifying the Earth of the darkness that threatened to engulf it for eternity. Sailor Moon, became Neo-Queen Serenity, and washed the Earth in light. But after a millennium of peace, darkness again stained the pristine face of the Earth. Chaos had been reborn. Little was recorded from the final battle, Chaos was again sealed, but the scouts were forgotten, and the Queen was lost. _

_It was said that her husband and daughter survived and continued to lead in the aftermath of Chaos. The damage was done however; the Earth again was sullied by the base actions of humanity, and with the Queen gone it could not be undone. Most believed her dead, but some believed perhaps she joined Helios, silently watching to intervene in the greatest time of need. The bearers await their calling, __surrounded by sparkling crystal and white roses, __both in a deep sleep only to be awakened by the true owner of the Golden __Crystal. They await the day she will be awakened to save the Earth . . . one final time. _

_Modern Legends_

_By Meiou Setsuna_

_**1000 years later . . . **_

"Hey, Mom! Where is the Moon Lady? I want to find her!" The young boy bounded out of his room, his new found book clutched tightly in his arms.

"What are you talking about, Trunks?" His mother answered entering the large library.

"In your book, there's this story about a moon princess and how she'll save the Earth. She's a good guy, like Papa and Goku." The young purple haired boy answered, eyes sparkling with joy.

"It's just a legend, Trunks. I hardly doubt it's real . . . most legends are just exaggerated stories, glorified over time. I wouldn't put too much faith in them." Bulma answered offhandedly, looking away from her computer screen only for a moment.

"Papa believes in legends, just like the Super Saiya-jin . . . That's a real thing." Trunks added undeterred.

"And look where it's gotten him. He spends everyday trying to live up to some legendary standard, which he'll never attain." Bulma rolled her eyes, and turned to face her son. "He's wasting his life on an unobtainable dream, Trunks. Listen to your mother; the only things worth believing in are the one that can be proven." She said as she patted him on the head and then exited the room, leaving the boy alone. But her words did not affect the child, it was the same argument she had used two years ago when she had separated from his father. In his heart he knew that life was not worth living if there were no dreams to hold on to. So to prove his belief, he sought out the only other person in the house that believed too.

"Papa!" he yelled as he entered his father's training room.

"What do you want, brat!" Vegeta called, contining to pummel the air, barely registering his son's interruption.

"Papa! Mom says that legends aren't real. Does that mean we're not really Super Saiya-jin? They're in legends, just like the Moon Lady, that Mom says is fake . . ." Trunks rattled off excitedly.

But before Trunks could finish his rapid assault of verbal reasoning, he heard a loud growl come from his father, who still faced his sparring target stilled, "We are Super Saiya-jin; it is very much a real thing, never doubt that."

"Does that mean the Moon Lady is real, too?" Trunks asked, his face alit with hope.

"Perhaps," Vegeta turned just enough to look his young son in the eye. "Hold on to your beliefs. Sometimes that is the only thing that will allow you to keep living . . ." Trunks understood the words that Vegeta could not say; he knew that his father's past was not a happy one.

"Now get out of here brat, before I hurt you!" Vegeta threatened as he returned to his training. Trunks left smiling, knowing his father's threat was an empty one and hoping that some day he'd meet the mysterious Moon Lady.


	2. Chapter 2

**I break chapters where I feel they fit, sorry for such varying lengths in the coming parts. **

**Chapter One: Pain of Loss**

"You arrogant JERK!"

"Childish woman . . . LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Ten year old Trunks, silently watched his parents fighting, trying his best to remain hidden in the darkness of the stairs. Every night for the first few months, he would lay awake until the early morning hours due to their screaming matches. Over the past three years he had learned to drown out their voices, and no longer cried himself to sleep, this was just part of life at Capsule Corps. His parent didn't really hate each other, they were happier apart . . . his mother often muttered something about "immovable forces colliding" or something, to explain things like this, which happened a lot less since the separation. But tonight . . . tonight was different, his parents voices carried loudly upstairs and reverberated in his mind. This fight was vicious and cruel, the bulk of the insults coming, oddly enough, from his mother. . .

"Childish? Who the hell, are you calling 'childish'? You self-centered bastard, where the hell do you get off calling me 'childish'? Mister high and mighty, you think the world should bow to you. Only one small problem with that, Vegeta, you're a prince without a kingdom, a forgotten relic of a race long dead from their own stupidity." Bulma smirked proud of her poignant tirade and continued stressing every cruel syllable, making sure her target heard every word. "You're a joke, a fraud! . . . And the sad thing is that you are so pathetic that you can't even realize it. If I hadn't let you stay here you would have seen just how alone and insignificant you are."

Vegeta growled low in his throat, eyes shining with anger, but instead of continuing the battle, he turned his back to the irate woman, heading for his room, this fight was tiresome and a waste of energy.

"Excuse me! Where do you think you're going?" Bulma called after him, not happy that her attack had been ignored.

"I'm going to bed, stupid woman!" He yelled at her, not turning around. "And as far as I am concerned you lost the right to insult me. . . " he added in a cold, flat voice.

"Fine, leave like the coward you are! You're showing your true self now, Vegeta. You are just a coward hiding behind his pride, so no one can see how inadequate you are!" She crossed her arms over her chest.

The prince already infuriated by the blue-haired woman's tirades, could take no more. Before Bulma could realize what was happening, a gloved hand closed around her throat, crushing her windpipe and holding her aloft. Vegeta's ebony eyes reflected his pain and fury, his face contorted into a murderous scowl. "You forget your place woman, no matter your opinion of me, I can still kill you."

Bulma closed her eyes, waiting for death to come. But it never did. She fell to the floor roughly, her entire body shaking. She regained her senses just long enough to see Vegeta crest the stairs. Her tears began to flow freely, "Even if I cannot kill you, I will make you regret everyday you draw breath." She cursed silently at Vegeta.

"You already have . . ." Vegeta murmured, too soft for the now raving Bulma to hear downstairs, hardly realizing the words had crossed his lips. Engulfed in his own thoughts, he never even saw his son, staring at him wide eyed.

As he entered the dark room that he had once shared, his heart sank and his thoughts consumed him. 'There really is no point in staying here on this hellhole of a planet . . . Kakarott is always going to be stronger, and Trunks has surpassed Kakarott's brat . . . staying is useless . . . Nothing has changed . . . all the pain and suffering is still here, it didn't die with that monster. . .'

With a sigh the once proud prince strode purposely into the darkness. From a small box hidden well within his belongings he went to retrieve . . . Vegeta froze. It was gone. The only artifact he had left from his life before Earth, and before. . .

Suddenly it dawned on him. "DAMMIT BULMA!" Vegeta roared as he flew out the room, energy cracking around him, as his rage consumed any last bit of his self control.

"PAPA! NO!" Trunks flew after his father, knowing full well that his mother had almost certainly signed her own death sentence. If Vegeta heard him, he showed no signs.

Bulma steadied herself for an attack as she heard he ex roar he name from the second floor. She was perfectly aware of which nerve that she had hit, and knew that she was playing with her own life. In her hand she held Vegeta's past – a medallion – surface embossed with a large royal blue sun, a large crack marring its form. This was the Saiya-jin royal crest, the same one that Vegeta's father wore, when Frieza cut him down, and stole his only son.

"BULMA!" he now stood mere feet from her, the force of Vegeta's rage was overwhelming, the air crackled with his barely restrained power. Somehow Bulma managed to stand her ground, only barely flinching.

Vegeta stalked Bulma silently, his voice cold, flat and deadly. "What the hell are you doing, you idiot?"

Bulma shivered, but did not back down. She smirked, eyes shining enjoying the cruelty of her actions. "Little upset over a piece of jewelry, aren't you?" She let the heavy metal chain dangle from her hand, taunting him. "Go ahead, take it. Let it remind you of all your failures, Forgotten Prince."

_"My little Forgotten Prince, from a forgotten race of failures, worthless. . ." It ran its clawed finger down the child's face._

Trunks, who stood only inches from his parents, could only stare at his mother in disbelief. His mother had a temper, and could be petty and cunning, but she was never this vindictive. But even more surprising Vegeta had not moved. He stood as still as stone, even his ki was stilled, as if. . . as if he wasn't there. Trunks looked at his father's eyes, they were blank, withdrawn, not even the cold spark of rage lit the ebony orbs. Something was very wrong.

"_Some warriors . . . The little prince just sits there, while his father got himself killed." The green creature next to it said. "Here kid, a souvenir for a life lost" The beast mocked. _

"Papa?" Trunks tugged on his father's gloved hand. No reaction.

"_Father?" He held the crest unbelieving. _

"What's wrong Vegeta? That rock you call a brain finally break?" Bulma mocked, smiling.

_"Murderers!" _

"Mom! Stop it, something's not right. . . Papa, Papa! Wake up!" Trunks shook his father harder. Nothing.

_ "HAHAHA! The little prince speaks! That's rich coming from a child trained to kill. You'll make a wonderful puppet" _

"PAPA! Wake up!"

"The fool, finally lost his mind" Bulma giggled. "C'mon Vegeta, I didn't really mean it."

_ "Frieza! You Monster!" Vegeta lunged at the creature, blinded by rage. _

In an instant, Trunks saw Vegeta's eyes finally focus, and he could feel his ki growing "Papa?"

_"Doubtful. . ." Frieza easily swatted the prince out of the air, grabbed him and hoisted him by the throat, staring right into his tear brimmed eyes. "Because Little Prince . . . I'll destroy that spirit first, my Puppet." For the first time Vegeta was beat up to within a moment of death. _

"Wake up, you moron!" Bulma smiled and reached to punch Vegeta playfully on the shoulder – but she never made it. Within an instant, Vegeta caught her wrist, and threw her across the room.

"Mom!" Trunks flew over to his mother. She seemed to just be knocked out. His father stared at them unseeing, eyes focused, but distant, showing no sign that he even recognized Trunks. Energy once again crackled around Vegeta's body, but his face showed no rage, it was blank. "I'll kill you, Monster." His voice sent chills down Trunks spine; he had never heard his father like this, every syllable forebode death.

"PAPA! Stop it!" Trunks charged his ki to its full Super Saiya-jin potential. Vegeta ignored it; he was searching the ground for something. He smirked when he found it, the medallion that Bulma had dropped when Vegeta threw her. He placed it around his neck, the coolness and weight of the medallion, a steady reminder of the pain he was mentally reliving. It was finally too much. Trunks could feel, as much as see the thin hold on his father's sanity snap. Vegeta charged his ki, as his son had just done before, but he didn't stop at a stable level. Vegeta's voice rang out, filled with anger, frustration and pain howling at the effort he was exerting.

Vegeta had tapped into himself, pulled every last bit of power from within, it was a move of desperation and Trunks knew only one other time Vegeta had done such a thing, and realized that his father had no intention of living. Reacting before really thinking, Trunks flew straight at Vegeta hoping that hitting him would startle him enough to stop the process. He couldn't even get close enough to touch his father. Vegeta simply flared the energy he was building and knocked Trunks back and out of the air. By the time Trunks regained his focus, Vegeta was gone - he'd flown right through the ceiling into the dark night outside.

He heard his mother moaning as she struggled to regain her composure, "What happened Trunks, why are you all charged up? Where's your father?" He could barley believe it, he knew she hit her head, but she sounded like she had no idea of the things she had just done.

"Mom? What was the medallion you had?"

"Medallion? Trunks what are you talking about?"

"It was big with a blue sun on it, and it was cracked."

Bulma looked shocked, she hadn't thought about that since her and Vegeta split. Then realization dawned on her. If she was right this was very bad . . . and she didn't remember any of it. "Trunks, where is you father?"

"He left . . . I couldn't. . . I tried…" Trunks stammered, looking between the hole in the ceiling and his mother.

"Trunks, stop! You got to listen to me. Go find Goku, I'll call over there and tell Chi-Chi to have him start looking. You're dad isn't your dad right now, but we have to stop him. There are most likely lives going to be lost tonight, but I don't know if he means to end his own, or the ghosts that he thinks he sees right now."

"Ghosts?"

"JUST GO! We don't have time to explain."

Bulma watched her son fly off, hoping desperately they were in time. "What did I do now. . ." Was her last thought as she dialed the number for the Sons' home.


	3. Chapter 3

**NOTE: Italics are used in two ways here – one to signify a phone response, and two to represent a memory. . . hopefully that will make sense. . . **

**~Sailor Vulcan**

********************************************************************************Chapter Two: Night of Discovery ********************************************************************************

"You what?" Chi-Chi Son, was not a person who liked to be pestered in the middle of the night, and right now she was trying her best not to start screaming and disturb her sleeping family.

_"Chi-Chi, please! I don't have time to explain! Just ask Goku to find Vegeta, I sent Trunks out, but you know he can't do this alone! I'm begging you; something bad is going to happen!"_

"Bulma, you can't scorn a man and then worry about him all the time! With Vegeta, something bad always happens! Get over it!" Chi-chi stressed every hushed syllable through her clenched teeth.

"_No it's different, he's possessed or something. . . He kept talking about killing some . . . some Monster. . ."_

"Well, he was a killer, for how long Bulma, he probably needs to just blow off steam. . ." Chi-Chi finally heard Goku, who could pretty much sleep through a train wreck, wake up. "Dammit. . ." Chi-Chi took the phone away from her mouth and called, "Goku it's nothing! Bulma's just panicking."

However to her surprise, instead of hearing her husband return to snoring, he instead emerged fully dressed, with a rare look of utter seriousness marring his normally smiling face. "She should Chi-Chi . . . Something doesn't feel right . . ." He looked her in the eyes and she just knew that what her friend was saying was true, she sighed heavily, "Bulma he's going, I'll call you back soon." She said as she closed the connection.

"I need Gohan, and Goten, if Trunks is out there too, will need them to make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

"Vegeta wouldn't hurt Trunks. . ." Chi-Chi knew the words were true but, even as she said them a tone of doubt crept in to her voice.

"Perhaps. . ." Goku voice was distant; his mind focused a far away. Chi-Chi shivered at the thought, knowing all too well the injuries the older Saiya-jins could inflict.

"Right now we have to be careful. Get the boys, have them follow my trail and stay together." And with that, he left and took off into the night. Chi-Chi did as she was told, praying to Kami and whoever would listen to protect her friends and family.

Trunks was flying his very fastest to Mt. Paozu, using up energy he didn't know he had. His heart was gripped in fear, and it was driving him on. Because he knew that most likely his father would die tonight. However it was not Goku or even Vegeta, who found him first.

"Hey, kid! Where's Goku?"

"I don't know! I don't have time to stop, 18!"

She followed him, "Okay then, we'll find him together."

"Fine! If you can keep up!" Trunks shot on ahead, angry at the interruption. But 18 didn't let him out of her sight. Chi-Chi had called Kuririn telling him about Vegeta going missing, and how upset Goku was; she thought it had been wise to inform the "reinforcements." Instead however 18 left him at home with Marron and took it upon herself, to help his friends. "Besides," she thought with a tinge of motherly concern, "no one should have to see their father die twice. . .."

Trunks flew as fast as he could, 18 right on his tail. But they were going the wrong way. He could feel it! That awful energy surrounding his dad was in the other direction, and it was growing stronger. . . "NO!" Trunks stopped abruptly, "Okaasan is wrong! I need to find my father!" And with that he, set off in the other direction, pushing the limits of his speed.

18 just sighed, 'So stubborn, just like his dad. . .' she thought, struggling to keep up with the determined child.

Goku was the first to arrive on the scene; purposefully he let the others behind and used his instant transmission to find his friend. Perhaps Vegeta would never admit it, but the two had formed a strong friendship, despite the fact the Vegeta had once tried to kidnap Gohan, and kill Goku. But in time Vegeta had changed. He had grown and begun learning to trust and work with others. Admittedly, he was still an arrogant ass at times, but it made him who he was (a loveable jerk perhaps?). But Goku also knew his friend was long tormented by his past, and tonight Goku was certain that it was these past demons that were the problem.

However, there was no time to wait. Vegeta had moved quickly into city limits. But strangely, he was only hovering over the city, watching the people. Certainly the city was concerned, since usually a large glowing unidentified object over the city usually meant trouble, but he had made no move yet. He was fully charged, but still draining his own life force to increase the power he was building up.

"Vegeta." Goku stopped behind him, making sure to keep his ki powered down, trying not to threaten the obviously tenuously sane prince. "Vegeta, you need to stop. You're going to kill yourself if you keep this up." His voice was quiet but firm.

Vegeta turned to face him; his eyes were light-years and decades away, withdrawn and unseeing. "There's no point. . ."

"Huh?" then Goku saw the medallion around the prince's neck. Only once did he remember hearing about this relic that Vegeta kept hidden away . . .

"_Mom! Mom! Look what we found!" Trunks came running into the room followed by Goten. In his hand he held a large medallion. _

_Bulma paled when she saw what her son and his friend had found. "Trunks! Where did you find that?"_

"_We were playing hide and seek and this fell out of your closet. It's heavy? Is it yours?"_

"_No. . . That's your father's."_

"_Why would Papa have a necklace?" Trunks asked offended. Chi-chi, who was there sipping tea and chatting with Bulma, giggled a little at that. _

"_That's not a necklace . . . It was his Father's Trunks, your Grandfather's. I believe that was a family seal or something. Now go put it back, before your father sees it's out."_

"_Ok . . . Goten, come help me!" Trunks turned a little deflated but easily distracted by his friend's antics. _

"_I thought Vegeta's dad was killed?" Chi-Chi asked. _

"_He was . . . Somehow that seal is the only thing Vegeta has left from back then. I'm not really sure, why he keeps it, it's broken, and he won't let me fix it. Every time I see him looking at it, he gets really defensive, like it's painful or something. Guess his Dad, didn't die a proper Saiya-jin death or something . . ." _

. . . Chi-Chi had related the tale to him, and Goku knew that the story was much more complicated than that. But obliviously Vegeta had not told anyone else. Goku had only found out after Vegeta broke down when Frieza had mortally wounded him on Nemek. That crest was a reminder of failure: Vegeta's father's failure to stop Frieza which led to the young prince being "adopted" by the creature, Vegeta's failure to kill the thing that tortured him and his people, and the failure of the Saiya-jins to survive the sadistic rule of that monster. A physical link to the past and a solid reminder pain and torment.

"Vegeta. . ." Goku almost whispered realizing what had sparked this rampage, and it made him angry at the pain his friend had to bear, and frustrated at Vegeta for not letting it go. "You can't live I the past. Frieza's dead!" Goku's voice was raised, and tainted with his feelings, a lot less calming than he was being before. "Your people have been laid to rest, Vegeta."

Vegeta's faced registered his shock, eyes wide and frantic. Obviously Goku had struck a nerve.

"Don't kill yourself over something that happened years ago!"

As soon as Goku said the words he saw a change in the prince. His eyes focused, and hardened, his body shuttering. Goku thought it was from the force of will that Vegeta was using to stop this madness. But he soon realized it was indeed, the prince laughing at some unknown thought.

"You always were a fool, Kakarott."

"Vegeta-san?"

Vegeta met the taller Saiya-jin's eyes, his own cold and deadly, "I have no intention of dying, you simpleton," Vegeta smirked, but instead of reassuring Goku, it made him more nervous, it was the look of a predator confident in their own success. "At least . . . not without taking you and this worthless, piece of shit planet with me!" Vegeta's energy flared with the force of his words.

Vegeta's energy flare battered the taller man pushing him back in the air. "Vegeta! Stop! I'm not going to fight you; we were just worried, cool down!" Goku, laughed nervously, once again trying to diffuse the situation.

Vegeta didn't say anything, he simply outstretched his arm, palm facing the city below, fingers together and upright, thumb crossed over the palm, his hand glowing, just taunting his foe.

"No.." But even before Goku could finish the thought, the prince had unleashed his attack. Reacting, Goku powered to the second Super Saiya-jin level, hurrying to deflect the blast, knocking it away from the busy city. In the distance, a loud explosion sounded, leveling several innocent trees, and rending the earth below.

Goku however had no time to even think about what was happening before being sucker punched in the face. Vegeta had followed Goku chasing the blast, and knew that the best tactic for the moment was to use surprise to his advantage. Goku took the blow full force, throwing him back. But the prince knew that that was far from enough power to defeat his rival.

Goku righted himself and flew back at Vegeta trying to hit and disable his rival, "What has gotten into to you?" But it wasn't enough; Vegeta simply countered the attack with his own. Soon the two were embroiled in battle, the force of their blows sending them both sailing. Their actions lit the night sky, giving the people below a confusing, but awesome sight.

Goku's strength had always been a challenge for Vegeta's tactics even when the prince was in a stable state of mind, but tonight, despite his mastery, his thoughts were too fractured to fully carry out his objectives. Like so many times before, Vegeta's emotions and frustrations overwhelmed him. Vegeta flew at Goku and landed a solid kick to the taller Saiya-jin's stomach, followed by several scatter shot orbs that surrounded and homed in on the falling man, exploding on contact.

With the first ki attacks of the battle, Goku knew that they had to leave the city or something - or worse - someone would be hurt – besides the two combatants. He also could feel the weakness of the attacks and knew either Vegeta was conserving for the rest of the battle or he was definitely killing himself. He put his full energy at reversing his motion and charging the prince, the smoke that surrounded him, was a good distraction for his attack. Vegeta saw the move and prepared a counter, however Goku at the last transported behind the prince, who was too slow to react to the change, grabbed him by the arm and threw Vegeta away from the city, into the forested area below, as hard as he could.

"Dad! What's happening?" Goku only momentarily registered his sons' arrival. "Gohan, Goten don't let anyone get near."

"Daddy?" Goten looked confused and still half asleep.

"Just listen to me Goten!" Goku shouted back at them as he flew after Vegeta, knowing he couldn't waste any more time.

"Onii-san? What's going on?" Goten looked to Gohan, confused by the harshness in his father's normally gentle voice.

Gohan looked at his little brother, "We have to stop Trunks from going after Vegeta. . ."

"Like hell you will!" The lavender haired boy flew by the duo, still charged to his highest level.

"Darn it!" Gohan quickly went after the boy overtaking him, "Trunks, don't be stupid you'll get yourself killed!"

Trunks stopped abruptly, Gohan blocking his path. He could hear the sounds of the fight below, and could feel the massive energy building, which only served to fuel his desperation. "Gohan! Move! He'll die!"

"Kid, there's nothing you can do." Said 18, who was breathing hard from chasing after the child. She stopped facing Gohan blocking Trucks exit.

"Onii-san? Trunks?" Goten came over to the group, worried, but clueless.

"Goten, they're gonna let Papa die! Something possessed him and he'll die! Your dad's gonna kill him if they keep fighting!" Trunks was visibly shaken and frantic.

"Daddy wouldn't do that . . . he doesn't even kill the bugs Mom keeps finding in the kitchen." Goten said, smiling reassuringly.

Gohan chimed in "Trunks, he's simply trying to calm your dad down, I seriously doubt anyone will die. We just want to find out what made Vegeta snap." Gohan reached out to put his hand on the boy's shoulder, to reassure him, however the moment was disrupted but a large explosion coming from the ground below.

Trunks became even more agitated, "I know what happened! Mom, made him crazy, and now he's gonna kill himself, trying to prove something, like he did to defeat Buu!" Trunks flared his ki, surprising the others enough to escape, flying straight down between his would be protectors. He followed the sounds of the battle, and the ki signatures of his father and friend. He could sense something was wrong, and knew he needed to hurry. He knew the others we following, but he didn't care.

"IDIOT! You should have killed me when I first came to this miserable rock!" The outcry was followed by the sounds of a powerful attack, and one of the combatants hitting the ground. "Damn you, Kakarott!"

Hearing his father's voice Trunks flew faster seeking to stop this madness. The brush around him was thick, and made seeing the battle difficult. But he could hear it, and it sounded extremely one-sided, he feared it was too late. Crashing through the last thicket, saw his father and Goku embroiled in battle. Except, despite Trunks early thought it was Goku that was powered down. He wasn't weakened; simply he was absorbing the impacts and avoiding the blasts, trying to get close enough to subdue the prince.

But Vegeta wasn't having it; he was taking every opportunity to attack. But he was weakening, the strain of staying at so high a power level was draining him too fast, his shoulders were slumped and he was breathing hard.

"PAPA!" Trunks flew at his father, desperate to get through to the older Saiya-jin. "Stop it! Please! Mom, didn't mean those things she said, you have to . . ." Trunks never got to finish his words, when he was close enough, Vegeta swatted lavender haired youth out of the air, with no more concern or effort, than if his child was a pesky fly. Thankfully Gohan, who had pursued the youngster after he had fled, was close enough to catch the unconscious boy before the force of his fall could take out several more of the trees around the clearing.

"Dammit, Vegeta what the hell is wrong with you!" Goku screamed across the clearing. He was livid; energy was crackling around his body, showing the sheer force of will he was exerting not to seriously harm the man in front of him. "That was your son, Vegeta! Not some nameless foe, how could you?"

Vegeta stood facing his opponent arms crossed, eyes closed, smirking as if he had no concern for what he just did, "He was in the way, Kakarott. You keep holding back, scared to kill me. Now he's unconscious and you have no reason to fear scarring him for life." Vegeta laughed, opened his eyes and addressed the taller Saiya-jin, "Besides you'll only really give me a real fight if you are angry. So, you imbecile, are you pissed enough to kill me yet?"

The others looked on in silence, shocked by what was happening. Gohan handed Trunks to 18, and went over to his brother, making sure that Goten would not jump into the fray that he knew was about to occur.

Goku had finally had enough, he charged Vegeta, still only powered to level two, but only a hairsbreadth away from his full power. His fists were flying, aiming to pummel any open space on the arrogant prince's body. "I can't believe you! You're not a monster Vegeta! I don't understand why are you doing this!" Goku spat, every syllable punctuated by the strike of his fists.

"I'm a killer Kakarott." Vegeta blocked a blow to his face, "It's all I've ever known, All we Saiya-jins are bred for. All we're GOOD for!" And again, "I tried it your way, as neutered peace loving freaks, but it isn't possible Kakarott!" This time Goku caught the prince on the chin. But it did not move Vegeta, he turned back to face Goku smirking, without any recognition of pain. "You have to hit harder Kakarott. . ."

Goku swung again, this time letting his fists express his anger and frustration. Vegeta was unfazed, "Even Ginyu hit harder than THAT!" He laughed at his own statement, a manic and alarming utterance reflecting some deeply held and disturbing thought. It only served to annoy the prince more; these damnable memories had no place in this fight. "You pathetic excuse for a Saiya-jin!" He lunged at the taller sayia-jin, he was a man possessed. A man with a renewed fury. This was no longer a game like most of his other battles. This was his suicide note.

Goku fought just a fiercely, realizing that pulling his punches would only serve to disturb the already momentarily insane prince. He redoubled his efforts, a fist to the side, a kick to the shoulder, a well-aimed chop to the head, all meant to debilitate, not kill. However Vegeta's mania made him fast, burning up his energy and strength with no care if he truly did exhaust himself of it . . . forever. He caught Goku's fists after several moments of heated exchange and many good hits on both sides, effectively pausing the escalating battle. He stared Goku in the eyes their faces mere centimeters apart, "So you have a choice, kill me now, or watch all that you love perish. Only then will you understand why this is necessary." Vegeta charged a simple Galick Gun attack and landed it directly at Goku's solar plexus before the taller man could react. An old trick, but effective. Goku flew back stunned.

Vegeta started to charge, but was halted as he heard a woman's laughter breaking his concentration, "My, my . . . isn't this quite the drama." Vegeta spun to address the voice, to destroy whatever fool had stumbled into his swan song battle. But there wasn't anyone there, and it definitely was not the voice of 18. Then there was another giggle, "A little jumpy, Monkey Prince?"

Vegeta spun again, "Where are you, you coward? Show yourself!"

The others looked on confused. They had not heard the voice at all. "Well, he's finally snapped. . . " 18 said off-handedly. Gohan simply looked back from Vegeta to her, dumbfounded, "Heh."

"Be careful Prince, you are about to get your royal butt handed to you."

"Show yourself, you. . .!" Vegeta spun to find the voice but was tackled before he could finish. Goku had used the opportunity to knock Vegeta out of the air. "Stay down, before I have to hurt you, Vegeta!"

"You should listen to him." The voice pouted in Vegeta's mind, "Foolish monkey."

"Where the hell are you, you bitch!" Vegeta demanded as he pushed himself up, face muddied from landing in the dirt. He barely made it to his feet when Goku grabbed him, forcing his arms behind his back and bringing the prince to kneel.

"What the heck, Vegeta, calm down. . ." Goku tried to calm the prince, but recognized that it wasn't going to happen, as he struggled harder against a seen and unseen enemy, still a challenge even this broken state, but too depleted to use a trick to get out of such a simple hold. Still restraining the struggling Vegeta, Goku struck Vegeta hard, where his shoulder met his neck, knocking him unconscious.

Unfortunately for Goku, Trunks woke up just in time to see his father brought down in such a demeaning, execution-style position. "No!" The young saiya-jin flew away to kneel at his father's side. Eighteen had let Trunks go, knowing that there was no more danger. "WHAT DID YOU DO!" Trunks looked at Goku, "How could you?" Trunks looked up at Goku, eyes accusing the older man of great cruelty, tearing up even as he tried to focus on his anger at the older man.

"He's just knocked out Trunks. . . calm down, jeez!" Goku's hair shortened and faded back to his normal black, as he powered down, smiling and rubbing the back of his head with right hand. "Sheez! Between you and your dad tonight I'm worn out. First he asks me to kill him and not you think I did." Goku grinned down at the boy, but he could see that the boy was still shaken. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just sore, I've taken worse hits . . . hitting the ground would have hurt a lot more. . ."

Goku smiled as the boy rubbed his head, amused that the youth had answered about his physical health. "Good thing Gohan caught you then."

Trunks nodded, "Something's not right. . . . This isn't like Papa at all. . ." Trunks eyes still glimmering with unshed tears, stared at his father who Goku had laid on the ground, and went to touch the medallion on his father's neck, "It all started over this stupid necklace. . ."

Then they too heard the mystery laugh that had distracted Vegeta, "That 'stupid necklace' is proof of your birthright little one."

They all turned to find the owner of the voice approaching them. She was short and slender, but walked with the aura of someone not to be ignored. She was almost luminous, her skin a pale alabaster, hardly contrasting the pale white of her long gown, and her hair pulled into two buns, one on each side of her head, the ends cascading like two trails quicksilver down her back almost to her feet. As she neared them they could smell the sweet scent of roses and see the crescent moon glowing on her forehead.

"All this ruckus . . . You Saiya-jins are such silly brutes." She smiled much amused and disarming her own insult. "But it seems you have done me a favor, warrior." She said addressing Goku, "And I thank you for that."

The group stared at the newcomer, utterly confused. She smiled, knowing that this was all a little unorthodox. "I understand that this is less than a normal meeting, and yes, I do know of the creatures from which you are descended. Indeed in one of my lifetimes, the Saiya-jins were renowned as feared killers." She smiled, hoping to put them at ease, despite the harshness of her words. "However there is not much time for explanations . . . You see, this image before you is simply an illusion. A picture to ease you of your fears, while I am truly still asleep, locked away until the appropriate time." She looked them all in the eyes scanning her stunned audience, "You all share such a terrible burden, and I will soon share in it with you. But you must be ready; as you stand today we all would be killed." As shocked as they were her words weighted heavy on all of them, even herself whose eyes shone in a consuming sadness. "This is why I must show you this now. I have known that you warriors have been protecting this Earth, from some of its greatest enemies, but an age is about to change, and soon strength and energy will not be enough to defeat what is coming. Even for brave warriors such as yourselves."

Eighteen was the first to speak up, "Just who the hell are you?"

She responded with a smile, "I understand your reaction, Android. But do not worry, I mean you no harm. I am Guardian of the Cosmos, I sleep on the world that I once protected, waiting to save her again. I've seen this world through ages and millennia, but this will be mine and your greatest challenge." She looked Goku in the eyes, "As for the rest, if you don't believe me ask your Kami, I'm sure he'll know. Tell him that Serenity told you to come."

"What do you purpose?" Goku asked.

Her eyes twinkled obviously amused with the situation, "It has been a long time since I had to fight, so I want a trade." Her smile grew bigger, "I'll train one of you in elemental battling, and they in turn need to teach me your ways . . . I'm afraid the battle ahead will need both of our methods to succeed. Now which one of you shall I borrow?" she said looking them over, as if trying to weigh their abilities by just looking.

"Why don't we all train together?" Goku suggested.

"It wouldn't be possible, I need complete immersion with a student, and in this form it would be . . . pointless. For this reason I can only take one of you." She looked sadly at her audience, "It would be complete immersion, and no contact with the outside world until the threat appears, to protect the process and you all as well." She looked behind her, "So my friend, which warrior shall be our ward?"

"That depends, are you really sure you want to trust these brutes?" Another man appeared behind her. He was pale, with white hair. The strangest thing however was the small golden horn sprouting from the middle of his forehead.

"The old prejudices don't die easily, do they? You brought us here so I assume you mean to use one of these men, Helios?

At this Trunks who had stared dumbfounded at the beautiful lady, finally clicked the last piece of the puzzle together. "Helios? That means . . . You're the Tsuki-sama! The Moon Lady! That story I read when I was little was real! Just like Papa said!"

She laughed at that, "Little one, you've been reading some of those silly old legends, haven't you." She smiled, even though her eyes held a deep sadness in them, "It's hard to believe those tales still exist. . ." She knelt down next to the boy and looked him in the eyes, and whispered, "Well, then young prince, why don't you tell your friends what is happening, after this is all over with?" after this she stood and face the dumbfounded fighters.

"Princess, we must act quickly." Helios reminded her impatiently, "You have several fine choices. The ones in front of you have fine hearts, the oldest is probably one of the purest that you will find in the world today, not to mention infinitely strong. The younger two, obviously are his children." Helios nodded at Gohan and Goten, who were increasingly feeling like they were cattle being sold at auction. "However, the child you seem so fond of is also a fine choice, plus as you have already surmised he is of their royal blood line, even though he's a hybrid."

"What of the injured one, the one with my uncle's seal?" Cosmos asked, carefully eying the fallen warrior.

"I would not recommend that one. He's obviously ill and mentally . . . unstable." Helios frowned, "Besides, he is the most . . ." Helios almost sneered, trying to find a kind way to say what he was thinking, "True to his bloodlines . . . Of them all, I seriously doubt his ability to have the patience to learn anything."

Cosmos laughed, "Helios, my uncle would not be pleased to hear you speak of his prized people so disdainfully, and if I remember correctly there was also doubt I would ever learn anything as well!" Her face still smiled but her eyes were serious, "He may not be the best candidate, but despite your warning Helios, he has the crest. It's Helius' symbol and promise, meaning he'll have Helius' watching over him. He will do, take him home Helios."

"But Princess. . . ?"

"Don't waste my time arguing, Helios! You most of all should know that possession of the crest was the sign of ascension," her voice conveyed her authority, and her face contorted from the fragile creature of a moment ago, to a look that refused to be questioned. "This time we can't risk a pure heart. . . You have your orders!" Despite the conviction in her voice, her eyes shone in sadness, lost in the past.

By this time the others didn't really know what to do. Goku stepped up to speak for them, "You can't, he's not himself. You don't know the risk you'll be taking."

"Son Goku, I appreciate your concern. If you truly are worried, let this comfort you - in time Kami will know where to find us. However, we cannot fight the Fates, or our destinies." She knelt down to Trunks again addressing him, "I promise you, you will see your father again, it is a hard destiny to bear little one, but you'll be better for it as well. Train hard little prince." She smiled at him, and kissed him on the forehead. In that instant she was gone, as was Vegeta and the other stranger.

Trunks was speechless. His father was gone, but somehow he knew that his father was finally safe. The others began to stir, utterly confused and fearful that the event the image had said was true, and amazed by the disappearance of Vegeta. But Trunks hardly noticed, he stood awed in the aftershock of what had just happened. Only mildly aware of the happenings around him he watched a single white feather fall to the ground . . . he never did discover if anyone else heard her whispered apology that faded on the breeze.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Written in the Stars

By: Sailor Vulcan (claimed in Junior High, mixing my two lifelong obsessions)

**A/N: Howdy all you patient people out there, sorry this has been such a long time. For now here is the next chapter. The previous ones are getting an edit and face-lift shortly but the content is mostly the same. Next chapter is on its way. Thank you all for your comments and constructive criticisms! **

**Chap 3: Daze of Confusion**  
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"**What the hell?** We can't just let some broad, claiming to be some galactic good guy, disappear with Vegeta! Even if the man is an arrogant ass, he's still strong as hell and could easily be used to kill us all! Especially since he's already apparently popped a screw lose! Goku! How could you just stand there?" Eighteen was rather livid, by the time that any of the onlookers had regained their composure enough to reason out a plan. "Seriously! How can we take anything that . . . 'image' . . . or what ever it is told us?"

"She's right, Dad. We can't trust her. . . I mean, especially if she thinks that someone that just tried to kill you is going to help her." Gohan chimed in, a worried look etched into his handsome features.

By this time the youngest of the Son brothers had wondered over to where his best friend stood, transfixed by some unseen happening. "Trunks? Are you ok?" There was no response.

"Who was that weird lady, Trunks?" Goten popped his face in front of Trunks. Again no response.

Goten stood next to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder, "Are you upset? I know I was when my dad wasn't here." Goten tried several more times to get his friend to respond but, it was in vain. Trunks simply stood there stunned and numb from the events of the night. Until his daze was shattered to bits by the adult's conversation that finally registered in the boy's ears.

"For all we know Goku, he could be dead, and now, all we have is a hunch and some fairytale to base our plan on. . . This is **ridiculous**." It was Eighteen who voiced the thought.

Trunks snapped, very much reflecting the fervor which his father often exhibited on one of his tirades, screaming at the blonde woman as he took off, intentions firmly in place to punch her in the face. "He's **NOT** dead! _**He's NOT! **_How can you just say such stupid things Android? I don't know what she is; I don't even know where my father is! But he is not **dead**!" Trunks swung at her, but his fear and anger was blinding him with tears, so even though he kept swinging none of the punches landed.

Even though Eighteen was perfectly able to avoid the young boy's messy, rage driven assault, Goku flashed in front of her, protecting her from the boy's outburst, before even the other Saiya-jins could see he moved. He grabbed Trunks outstretched wrist, and pulled the young boy to him, letting him break down and release the turmoil the night had caused in young prince's heart.

"I'm not so sure right now is the time to debate this Eighteen." Goku said look her in the eyes. "There's nothing we can do tonight anyways. She said Kami would know. Tomorrow I'll go to the Lookout and see if Piccolo knows anything. We'll check the rest of ours leads too." He looked down at the quieted Trunks, who was still limply positioned in Goku's arms.

Whether it was pure reason or motherly sympathy that led her in her decision, Eighteen agreed. "You're right; I bet all these kids could use a rest." She nodded and took off, beginning her flight back home.

Goku turned to his eldest son, "Gohan, tomorrow you and I are going to have to make a trip to the Lookout."

"But!" Gohan started to complain but his father quickly nipped it in the bud.

"Somethings are more important than school and girls Gohan."

"Yeah, you're right. I just hope Videl understands that." Gohan put his hand behind his head and laughed a little, despite being a fighter as well, Videl was still a girl. . . and well . . to be honest, Gohan couldn't tell how she would react.

"Dad?" Goten stood at his father's feet also looking worried at his friend, "Can Trunks stay over tonight?"

Goku looked at the boy in his arms whose eyes had gone empty and face had gone blank, then down at his youngest, "That sounds like a good idea, don't you?" and smiled the same innocent smile that his youngest son wore.

It was dark . . . was he dead? Didn't even get the chance to see that old bastard King Yama again? Dammit that would have been fun, he was pretty sure the last time he had seen Yama had left a lasting and feared impression.

He remembered some of the fight earlier but a lot of it was fuzzy, he kind of felt like he had been watching his actions rather than participating. But he did remember that damn voice at the end, maybe he was going mad. . . Kakarott had given him a good fight at the end. Even he had to admit that using as much energy as he had was painful. But if this was death, it was well worth it. Still . . . one little punch wouldn't have killed him . . .Was Kakarott trying to be merciful and kill him while he was out? What a miserable way to go, damn sympathetic weakling. Vegeta stood up quickly, anxious to discover what new part of Hell he'd been relegated to, but instead he was brought back down to he's knees by a pounding pain in his head. "Okay, I really am in hell." he said to himself.

"Not quite, Stupid Monkey."

"YOU AGAIN!" Vegeta spun around, which he soon regretted, but didn't let this figment know it, "I can't even enjoy being dead without some woman nagging me."

There was that silvery laugh again bubbling over into her words, "You really do have a death wish don't you monkey prince? Too bad you're still alive," She then finally appeared to him, glowing as pale and translucent as moonlight.

"What the hell? You're a ghost?"

She laughed harder this time "Not quite. Why are you scared?" she said as she winked at him.

"Absolutely not!" Vegeta growled in anger and looked away, "That coward Kakarott stuck me here so he wouldn't have to fight me and so he could torment me! Damn cowardly bastard." then he looked at the figure again, which served to only make him angrier, "What the hell is going on!" He demanded.

"I choose you to save the world."

It was now Vegeta's turn to laugh "You're crazy, I'd rather kill everyone one on this miserable rock, rather than save it." he looked around finally taking in his surroundings "And besides since when does one save the world in a cave?"

She looked him in the eye and spoke sadly and coldly, "It's where I have to be."

Vegeta smirked like a predator again,"Well then that means if I get rid of you I can leave, correct?"

"No. . ." But before she could tell him that his idea was flawed he had turned on her and shoot a single pinpoint blast through the spot where her heart should have been. She just stared at him, and sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "You really are brutes. . .you would think a millennia of time and sharing in the culture of other planets would have breed that out of you monsters, but noooooooo . . ." she draw out the vowel on the end, voice full of anger and sarcasm, "and now I choose the least evolved member of the entire species to save the world. You damnable IDIOT! You could of brought the mountain down on your own head!"

"At least I would not have to deal with you anymore!" Vegeta screamed back equally annoyed that his plan failed and that she had insulted him. Only afterward did he realize the truly odd thing that just happened, "What the hell are you? That blast should of killed any mere human!"

"Maybe I'm not human." she snapped back at him still annoyed.

He looked at her more closely, she looked human. She was small, and delicate looking, but glowing with some unknown force. Then he searched out her ki, trying to determine just how powerful she had to be to survive the full force of a blast like that. But what he sensed wasn't even enough to be a living entity. He open his eyes and looked again, and only then did he notice something was off about her, "You're not really here are you?"

She laughed a little at his confusion, "You only noticed this now? You really are dense monkey-brain," she said smiling

"Stop mocking me, Woman! I've killed better men for lesser offenses." He gave her his best intimidating stare, "One minute you are asking for my help and the next you're belittling my intelligence. If I annoy you that much find someone else for the job."

Suddenly the smile faded away, "I can't."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because . . ." She paused and sighed, and then she looked him in the eye, "Because you have the seal. And you're a Saiya-jin prince. And . . ." she paused again and spoke in barely a whispher, "and because I need you."

"The seal. . ." Vegeta looked down at the amulet around his neck, as if seeing for the first time. "So because my father had this, I now have to deal with his mistakes."

"Well, technically, yes, but it's more like since your father had that from his father and so on and so forth you now have to deal with all of their mistakes" she smiled sadly again, "Destiny, I suppose you could call it. But really it was an agreement laid out long before either of our races had even been to this world."

Vegeta turned his bask to the "thing" that brought him here, closed his eyes and exhaled abruptly, "This is a load of crap."

"I ensure you that I'm telling the truth. Your seal is the symbol of Helius, my uncle, god of the sun. Lunar accounts state that he was bored by Earth, and on his journeys he found another race to amuse himself. We were told that they were fierce and brutish, but brave and proud warriors that could help us. My grandmother, Selene, met one in a past life. He was very strong but she thought he was frankly, unremarkable, and that encounter left her with a lasting bad memory, as he decide to give her beloved moon a new crater. "

Vegeta laughed never looking back, "Somehow it's hard to believe someone who captures you and then doesn't even have the courage to show themselves. Besides, your family probably captured him too, so he probably was just looking to escape. You and she were both crazy to ever think a Saiya-jin would do what you say just because you can't defend yourselves."

"I don't have a choice in this!" She yelled at him. "Foolish creature! I wouldn't do this if I had a choice! I can defend myself. I defend the galaxy you idiot, long before you were ever born! I was a queen, a goddess, my friends and my family gave their lives to protect this world more times than you could probably count."

"Then why don't you just use them?"

"Because they're dead." she states flatly and coldly, "The enemy has changed since the last time I was called to protect this Earth, it's stronger and now it's taking over alien bodies that my magic cannot defeat. Your strength can, that is why I need you, why I'm asking you to help," Her voice was serious and firm, but her eyes were soft and worried.

"Why no one of the others?" Vegeta asked, turning just enough to see her face.

"Because you're the better choice."

Vegeta snorted at that, "Doubtful."

"I can't risk another pure heart."

"So you'd sacrifice mine instead? How noble."

"It's not like that," She snapped. Then she sighed sadly and looked the prince squarely in the eyes. "What you need to learn in how to use the magic that our ancestors practiced, and I need to learn how to harness the strength within myself, like you and your friends do. But there is a far greater risk for you, because I'm talking about an ancient and unlimited power, but it comes a far too great of a price. The last one called to my side to fight off evil eventually became greedy and selfish, desiring the power this life offered, more than anything else in this world. His heart was untested, too pure and soft and it was far too malleable to dark desires. You, monkey prince, have seen that darkness and embraced, and walked away from it, even laying down your life to save others. Even if it was just because you felt the desire to prove your superiority."

"It wasn't just for that, you annoying woman." Vegeta snapped. Then he stared at her and began to seriously consider her words, "How do you know I just take that power from you, and become like him?"

"Because then you'd have to kill me," She stated matter of factly, "and if you did that, not only would you be a fool but everyone on this Earth, including your son, would die."

The bravado cleared from Vegeta's face. She had hit a nerve.

"I know that your heritage is extremely important to you Saiya-jins, but more than that Vegeta, you'd lose the one person in the world that truly didn't care about who you were. You are his father and to him that's all the matters, and he'd risk his life for yours, I'd bet"

"Then, he's a fool."

"Perhaps, but it is true. Also, besides perhaps the Android, none of you friends have the one thing that makes you the best candidate." She looked in to his eyes and held his gaze, her face absolutely serious.

"And what is that quality, exactly?" Vegeta stared back, noting the quick tinge of sadness to pass through his adversary's eyes.

"Pain so profound that it has left you scarred."

"Ok Bulma, thanks a lot, we'll talk to you tomorrow." Chi-chi hung up her, and closed her eyes, not only was she tired from the stressful night she was having, but also from worry for her friends and family. "Goku! Bulma says Trunks should probably stay here until this thing blows over. Apparently there's something weird happening in the city that Capsule Corps is helping to investigate, and she's not sure it's safe for Trunks to be there right now."

"That's probably a good idea, are you ok with that Chi-chi?" Goku asked quietly.

"It can't be helped, Goku." Chi-chi sighed, "I'm just tired of seeing these kids having to deal with this sort of fighting."

"Me too Chi- chi, me too." Goku had a rare sullen look on his face. "They're strong though, they'll make it."

"Perhaps," Chi-chi looked around, "speaking of the kids where are they?"

"Gohan should be asleep; we have to go up to the Lookout tomorrow. I think Trunks is in Goten's room, hopefully they're getting some sleep." Goku smiled, "We should go to bed too. It might be a while before things get back to normal, and the faster I get back to sleep the sooner I can have breakfast!"

Chi-chi laughed, somethings just never did change.

Despite his parents' belief, Goten was far from asleep. He was up in his room practically bouncing with excitement, "Hey Trunks, you think this bad guy she talked about will be really strong?"

Unfortunately however, his friend was not very responsive. In fact, Trunks had barely said a word since returning to Mt. Paozu. The boy laid on his side, staring out the window into the night sky. His gaze as distant as the stars that shone down on the peaceful forest.

"I bet that lady is really brave! But she looked so little and all white. Did you see she looked like something out of my old fairy tale book!" Goten was having a very serious conversation with himself, in hopes of getting his usually bright and mischievous friend to talk. "It's not good to be in white like that. She's just gonna get all dirty! Unless she's _really _strong and won't even need to touch the bad guy! But then why would she need Vegeta's help? Trunks! What do you think? Oh Yeah! You called her the "moon lady". Does that mean she's from the moon? That would make her an alien! Oh wait… Piccolo destroyed the moon didn't he; I guess she would have nowhere to live then. That's ok, she should come live here...!"

With every excited utterance Trunks got a little more annoyed. He was still staring out to the stars when he finally closed his eyes and had had enough, "SHUT UP GOTEN!"

Goten started, surprised by the sudden outburst. "Trunks? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just go to sleep already."

"Oooh, but I can't sleep!" Goten pouted, plopping cross-legged onto his bed. "It's too exciting! Maybe I'll get a chance to save the world too, like big onii-san and dad!"

Trunks finally sat up, staring Goten down very agitated by his friend, "It's not exciting Goten! This is bad, his means that everyone on the planet is under attack, and that people could die! It could be worse than Buu or Cell or any of the other ones in the past. We don't know. Look how many people died then! You should know that best of all! You didn't even get to meet your dad until you were seven! If this goes wrong all our parents could die! We could die!"

"Someone will wish us back with the Dragonballs."

"What if they can't? What if there is a limit to how many times you can use them?"

"I don't know. That would be pretty terrible then."

"Exactly."

Goten looked at his friend thoughtfully and smiled, "I don't think that's gonna happen though. I don't think your 'moon lady' would let that happen."

Trunks sighed and laid down facing the ceiling, "she isn't mine. I just happened to read a story in a book of Mom's that reminded me of her."

"What type of story?"

"A really old legend, it's probably just a myth but. . . I don't know. . ." Trunks brow furrowed in thought. "I guess it was just that she looked like the lady I pictured from the story, and that she smelled of roses. In the story, she is supposed to be hidden behind crystal and roses until the world needs her to save it again."

"That does sound like her! She gave us that warning and she wants to help us! She has to be a really strong and good person!" Goten emphasized the point hopping up and down on the bed a little bit.

"Yeah but something else bothers me about it. In the story she always dies after facing a great evil, and the person who was supposed to help her turned dark and sometimes died too."

"Maybe she had Dragonballs too? Cause she can't be dead, we just saw her."

Trunks rolled his eyes, "Goten, did you seriously forget that the first time you saw your dad he had a halo over his head?"

"Oh yeah," Goten laughed. "But Dad is here now so in the end it all works out; I bet it will be the same this time too."

"But what if it's not?" Trunks looked seriously at his friend, "You saw how Papa was… he wasn't himself. I don't know what happened when Papa was a kid, I think Mom does but she won't tell me, probably none of the adults will." He sighed, "I know some of the stuff my dad told me about his past and our race, but he hardly tells me details about his family, and when he does he's always really annoyed looking."

"But he's always annoyed looking"

Trunks glared at his friend, "This is different, he looks almost sad, he looks a lot like he did before he tried to kill Buu."

"Huh, your Dad must be really different at home, 'cause he always just looks smug or angry to me…"

"Goten…" Trunks rolled his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Goten giggled and then looked pensive, which of course meant he was considering something that was up to no good.

"Trunks, I got an idea!"

"If it involves anything to do with irritating your brother the answer is: NO." Trunks answered offhandedly as he laid back down staring at the ceiling.

"No no no, this is a REALLY good idea!" Goten sat forward on his bed, "Let's go find where the moon lady is buried, if we do that we'll find your dad!"  
Trunks stared blankly for a moment, unsure how to answer, he was worried, but at the same time he also was certain his father was going to be okay. He was more scared about his mother's odd behavior and being prepared for this potential new threat.

"Just for one day, Trunks. Then we'll train for this new fight. I wanna be able to really do some damage to the bad guy this time. We'll could even practice fusing!" Goten was practically bouncing.

Trunks exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, "Fine. Now go to sleep, if we're gonna go it needs to be early before the adults freak out ."

"Not too early," Goten yawned.

"Nah, around 5 or 6 should do."

"What! Trunks it's like 3 in the morning now!"

"So"

"We usually sleep like ten hours."

Trunks smiled, "Papa's right. You guys do waste a lot of valuable time you could be training."

Goten huffed and laid down, snuggling into his covers, "Yeah well, mom's right too. She says you're getting to be more and more like your dad. Using time you could be asleep to work… no wonder he's so cranky, he doesn't sleep enough."

Trunks laughed at his friend's comment, then closed his eyes and smirked assuredly, "I hope someday Goten. I really do."


End file.
